I have the V2 classic 920 xlc which actually I found to be great, they are smooth, allow great striding and I love the front ratchet wheel. I have a speed reducer on it which around where I live allows for more long distance options. But is very awkward to use on the fly unlike the XL98 or XL 9848 options.
I thought I would get a new pair that didn't have a brake but had a better on snow feel for working on technique. I purchased the SkiGo from Boulder Nordic Sport and they had the NIS plate on them which I thought to be great. Boy they look beautiful but when I jumped on them I was not as happy as I thought.
I am not sure what your thoughts are on the rear ratchet wheel, But I tend to like the front ratchet wheel for my kick timing. And Kick double pole timing.
And unfortunately, they track horribly downhills. When I wear them they are all over the place going downhill. I have switched feet, banged the front fork and not making much better. I haven't made a Jig yet and gone that route. But they are not all that I felt they are cracked up to be based on the reviews that I have read. I am very unhappy and really now wonder why I even did this when the V2 are great and are smooth and stable bombing down the hills.
Any suggestions? I think BNS will take them back but sad about it.
I would stick with the V2 920 or whatever wheel speed you want. If you want a rough terrain ski then go with the V2 9848 they are bomb proof.
On Monday, May 13, 2013 7:54:36 AM UTC-4, Jon wrote:
Jim:
Thanks very much for the feedback. Your point is well taken about keeping the fun aspect of skiing with roller-skiing...
Here are two good articles I found that discuss wheel speed:
- http://www.xcottawa.ca/articles.php?id=614
- http://skitrax.com/43512/
Both seem to conclude that the best approach is to be Kikkan Randall and have rollerski companies give you a bunch of different models of different speeds.
I had a chance to try the Ski-Go Carbon Classic roller skis and they're incredible (night and day improvement over aluminum shafts). You can really feel subtilties of classic timing and the flex makes the ski very comfortable on bumpy roads. They are very fast though--a small hill I usually do a quick double-pole sprint up (close to a max effort) didn't feel like anything on the Ski-Go's. FWIW, Boulder Nordic reports that next year Ski-Go hopes to offer wheels of different speeds.
On Swenor, they actually offer a #4 ("extra slow") wheel option also, but Mr. Swenor at Swix said even Kris Freeman finds them too slow (which is interesting since the fact that Swenor makes them in the first place indicates that somebody in Scandinavia thinks they're a good thing to train on.)
Personally, I think Ski-Go's will be the ideal once they offer slower wheel options (seems too risky now to be locked into just one (fast) speed). Runner up options seems to be Swenor Fiberglass and switching between #2 and#3 wheels . (Boulder Nordic guy thought Swenor's were close to Ski-Go in terms of overall performance.)
Jon
On Saturday, May 11, 2013 9:25:46 AM UTC-4, Jim wrote:
For what it's worth, I have some experience with both V2 and Swenor.
I have a pair of the original V2-900s with steel shaft and VERY slow wheels that I use from on a hill right outside of my house. They have no brakes, but the wheels are slow enough that I can ski back done the hill without too much danger of getting out of control (just a little alpine-type back and forth).
The pair I use most are Swenor Fiberglass with the medium-speed wheels. I use these nearly every day from my office on a flat 10-mile ski along the Charles River in Boston. Although these wheels are notably faster than the ones on my V2-900s I definitely don't feel like I'm not getting a sufficient workout!! There is often a 10+ mph headwind along the river and I really would not want to work any harder than I do at those times. Another more personal comment is that I enjoy the exhilaration of being able to ski reasonably fast on these skis, getting a satisfying return for my effort. It's that fun aspect that keeps me out there every day.